Ice Cold in Zanzibar.......

Hello folks
I've been wondering how your weekend's progressing.  Having some fun, some down time maybe?  Let me tell you how things are around here......

• Today I'll be I was mostly wearing fluffy dressing gowns (I have three, they take turns), pyjamas (with useful pockets), cosy bedsocks, and spotty slippers.  All in the pink.
• My favoured accessories were faux fur covered hot water bottles (two), variety of coloured hair bobbles (as one got lost in the bed I invariably found another) and an old towel, used as an impoverished improvised and rather fetching shawl.
• Snacks have been provided.  These included mince pies, porridge with syrup, two pears, and a packet of crisps (the one's with the little blue bag of salt included).  I didn't open it.  The salt bag, not the crisp bag.
• Entertainment was in the form of I-Player (I tried for cheery chappy Michael McIntyre but laughing caused a relapse in my condition), various Sudoku, blogging and watching youtubers frolicking in the snow.
• Technical support was provided by Orange mobile, Samsung Netbook, and Cannon.  Oh, and an old and very scratched pair of over-the-counter reading glasses (3.5) from Boots the Chemist (a £5 bargain reduced from £25.  But no longer a bargain since they are too darned scratched to see through).  

Apparently it's a bit chilly out at the moment.

I'm nicely tucked up all cosy.  So that's alright then.  Smashing.  Sigh.

Pardon?  The title......oh yeah, sorry.  Here you go...

Just a bit chilly.
Hope you folks are staying nice and snuggly.
pamela xxx

Snow Joke and Gratitude

Hello folks how's it going with you this week?  Sorry about the slowness to post.  I'm back now after short respite.  


Wowza.  Britain experiencing the EARLIEST WINTER snowfall for 17 years.   That'll be in autumn then, chortles;)


Lots to write about but let's go for a story in pictures eh? 


Leaving Durham City (my driver had a two hour tailback on the motorway to get to me, a twenty minute journey normally) firstly negotiating the icy carpark........Yikes........no sign of gritting activity here

Passing shot of Durham Cathedral under glowering skies...........

City streets deserted as the nearby motorway groans under thousands of vehicles going nowhere. The traffic jam extends north, past the angel of the north and the Metrocentre and into Newcastle).  Looks like the gritting lorry got through here ok though.

And Durham Castle, part of the University and steeped in tradition

Both sit on an 'island' promentary surrounded by the River Wear, part of 'The Land of the Prince Bishops', county Durham's tag-line to attract the tourists land of the prince bishops

Dormant life under snowy blanket

Redwing or Fieldfare?  

Back home and greeted by sweet cyclamens under their fluffy duvets

Err, who left the bikes out? going nowhere-else for some time I shouldn't think.....

  

Cold-snap here for awhile apparently

And this was just the first snow-shower, gulp:( Pretty though

So there you are, travel today only if ABSOLUTELY necessary.  Well it was......

There's no place like home.  And hospital isn't it.  Although my visit to short-stay surgery did give me the opportunity to write lists, LOTS OF LISTS.

Six and a half hours sitting in dressing-gown and slippers in a draughty waiting room gives time for plenty of planning!  I managed to detail at least fifty thrifty must-do's concerning lamps, planters, wall-hangings, window-dressings, mobiles (the hanging-from-the-ceiling variety not the where-did-I-put-it-this-time or the forgot-to-charge-the-bl****-thing-again variety) all doable whilst lounging about on enforced no-lifting-carrying shopping bags, laundry or cooking FOR THREE MONTHS type rest. The key theme is 'Be thrifty, use what you have' to make new house beautiful.  Easy.  Have been hoarding REALLY USEFUL stuff for years.    


And after surgery a sleepless night, usefully occupied by drafting  proposal for future research and writing-to-earn-money

Here's hoping.

And if you'll indulge me, I'm dedicating today's blog posting to all the nursing and surgical teams working their magic to put me right.  With extraspecial thanks to an amazingly dedicated night nurse M and a wonderful post-op recovery nurse S (sadly we learned this morning S slipped on ice trying to get to work and has broken her arm) get well soon darling and thanks for your skilled and loving care :)


Bye for now, stay safe
pamela x